


The Sith of The Fire Nation

by Hadrian_Kallig2077



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Dead Vette, F/M, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Rare Pair, Sith Warrior Storyline, Sith Warrior Zuko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:54:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28882026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadrian_Kallig2077/pseuds/Hadrian_Kallig2077
Summary: “If we defeat the Fire Lord, the Four Nations can once again live in harmony!”“Avatar, I thought you’d have learned by now. Peace….is a lie.”When Zuko disappeared one night from his cabin, Iroh feared the worst. For years, he hoped to find his nephew, and one day, his prayers were answered. However, not everything is what it seems. Zuko, after all his years away, has become...different, and Iroh doesn’t know whether it is for the better or worse.Basically, Zuko is the Empire’s Wrath (Sith Warrior) from Star Wars The Old Republic. A delightful guy to be around if you're his friend, a complete monster if you’re his enemy.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Iroh/Tea (Jasmine Blend), Male Sith Warrior/Toph Beifong, Male Sith Warrior/Vette, Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Zuko, Vette/Zuko
Comments: 9
Kudos: 28





	1. Prologue

The citizens of Ba Sing Se went about their usual routine. The Dai Li were strangely absent from their usual patrols today, but the citizens didn’t bother wondering why. Better to assume they were always watching you, lest you disappear in the middle of the night.

Suddenly, screams began to ring the air. One woman was shakily pointing a finger to Lake Laogai, showing a sight that should have been impossible.

Lake Laogai water’s... _ had caught on fire. _

Deep beneath the fire infused waters, the Dai Li were in pieces, some rather literally. Blood and viscera decorated every corner of the halls of the secret base. Some members of the Dai Li found themselves in a room, trying to hide behind their prisoners. A black silhouette of a man, illuminated by an eerie red glow, began to approach. One brave (or foolish, depending on one’s view) Dai Li agent decided to run up and attack the man, encasing his fists with earth. He winded up a punch with his right arm and started to follow through, only to find his arm caught in a vice grip. The man slowly started to twist the Dai Li agent’s arm counterclockwise. The agent cried out in pain, forced to release his makeshift gauntlets, then looked up in pure horror at the man’s face. The red glow shifted, somehow  _ into the agent’s chest _ , and the agent fell to the ground, like a puppet whose strings were freshly cut. The remaining Dai Li bought out two Joo Dees from the room, holding them with a piece of earth shaped into a knife.

“Enough! I’ve had enough of this! You leave us be, or this woman’s death will be on your hands!”

The man chuckled, his cold voice chilling the air. The red glow of his weapon still present “Hostages only work if your enemy cares if they live” 

The Dai Li started shaking in terror. Who was this monster?! Suddenly, their breathing started to seize. To their horror, they started levitating, releasing their hostages. The men fruitlessly clawed at their throats, desperately trying to breath. “Not that it’ll matter to you both.”, the monster stated, before closing his fists. A loud  **_SNAP_ ** of bone was heard, as the Dai Li’s necks were crushed telepathically. With the last of the stragglers picked off, the man headed to his main target. His target was behind the heavy doors, reinforced with Earth and Metal. He snarled. Feng would pay for torturing Toph like that, forcing her to give up her most precious technique just so the pain would end. He reached out with his power, calling on his endless hatred of the man that dared to hide from his fury.

**SMASH**

The doors were blown to smithereens, along with the Dai Li trying to fruitlessly reinforce it against the intruder. A terrible roaring of metal, earth, blood, and bone mixed into a horrible cacophony. Long Feng was blown away by the extreme power that had been thrown into the last line of defence he had. Everything had gone to hell for the man. His remaining Dai Li were either dead, or close to dying. His legs were broken, and as he pitifully crawled away from the raging maelstrom that had destroyed his base, he felt himself getting dragged by his legs. He screamed in terror, desperately clawing the floor in an effort to get away from the monster dragging him. It didn’t work. He was thrown harshly towards the door that had just been broken.

Blood red eyes glared hatefully at him, accentuated by a horrific burn scar that carried across his face. The monster started walking up to him, chuckling darkly.

“I told you, Feng. I told you, the day I found out what you did to the woman I cared for, that everything you cared for, I would destroy. Your city, your people, your power. All of it, I would burn to  **_ash_ ** .” The monster knelt down to Long Feng’s level. He grabbed Feng’s chin, forcefully.

Long Feng, desperate, tried to speak to the monster “Your...your….friend...the...Avatar” every word was spoken with excruciating pain. “He...he...would...not....approve.”

The monster shook his head “Aang is a little indisposed at the moment, thanks to you. Besides, even if he was awake, I doubt he’d be able to reach here that quickly.”

Feng was shaking in terror. “I...I...have...information…on...your…”

“Sister?” The monster chuckled. “I’ve known about her since the day she entered this city. Face it, Feng. You have  **_nothing_ ** . Nothing to offer me, nothing to give to my companions. So do me and the world a favor,  **_and die._ ** ” Fire started to dance around the monster’s body.

Feng screamed.


	2. Chapter 1: A Warrior's Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iroh is confused by his nephew's behavior, and wants to learn more about Zuko during the time he was away. Zuko is hesitant to talk about it, but decides to put his faith in his uncle, at least a little bit.

_ Iroh had headed up to Zuko’s room as soon as he’d finished reprimanding the men for their behavior towards him. Zuko needed help. He’d woken up to the news that he had been banished for what his father considered “dishonorable”, and then, shortly after he had woken up, been insulted by his crew. Zuko had headed up to his room after that incident, and had refused to come out. Zuko was not in a good place. As Iroh rushed to Zuko’s room, he couldn’t help but feel something was wrong. _

_ “Nephew, would you mind if I come in?” _

_ No response. _

_ Iroh started to grow worried. Before, Zuko would at least give a grunt, a sign,  _ **_something_ ** _ to acknowledge he had heard his uncle. _

_ “Zuko?” No response. _

_ Iroh’s fear started to mount “Zuko, open the door, or I am going to break it down.” _

_ Nothing. _

_ Iroh hastily melted the locks before forcing himself inside. _

_ Nothing. _

_ Everything was in place. The windows were closed, and yet… _

_ Zuko was nowhere to be found. _

_ “ _ **_ZUKO!_ ** _ ” Iroh shouted. No matter how many times he repeated himself, what was in front of him could not be denied. _

_ Zuko was gone. _

Iroh woke up to the sound of the engines powering up once again. It appeared the Wani was setting sail from Kyoshi Island. At least they’d made a nice, tidy profit on the lychee blend. He rubbed his eyes. While he was overjoyed Zuko had returned back to him, he was more than a little concerned. His accent had changed, making it rather difficult to pin down where Zuko had been all this time. Not to mention, wherever Zuko had been the past five years, he hadn’t slacked off in his firebending. One of the crew, in his arrogance, believed Zuko had gotten weak over his self imposed exile, and challenged him to an Agni Kai. Zuko had effortlessly beaten him with a hybrid style of the Dancing Dragon and Sozin’s style that Iroh had never seen before. Whatever it was, it was built for raw power and speed, overwhelming an opponent before they even had a chance to see what was happening. Said crew mate was still wearing a cast covering severe burns on his left arm weeks later. Zuko’s attitude was also something to be worried about as well. At times, he would put on a smile and pretend everything was alright. Other times, he would stare into the sea, his head held down, almost as if he was in mourning. Iroh had tried to get his nephew to open up about what had happened the past five years, but Zuko could still be stubborn when he wished to be. He opened the door to see his 18 year old nephew smoking one of those...things. Iroh shuddered. He’d heard rumors about what those could do to a Firebender’s breathing, but Zuko would always laugh it off. As Zuko puffed on a cigarette, Lieutenant Jee asked Zuko what was going on.

“Prince Zuko, with all due respect, where are we going? We barely had time to pack everything up and leave when you gave the order.”

Zuko exhaled, smoke expelling from his mouth. “I’ve been thinking about a saying,  _ the lily will open for those who seek the truth _ . I have a feeling that where we are headed to next will answer that statement rather thoroughly.”

Iroh was stunned. Did Zuko just use the code of the White Lotus?! How did he know?!

Jee was confused. “Uh, sir, you’re not making any sense.”

Zuko shook his head. “Forget about it. All you need to know, Jee, is that I have a feeling we will encounter something extraordinary where we are headed to next. Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to sell the surplus of stock we have with us?”

Jee still didn’t understand, but it wasn’t his place to question his Prince’s orders, even if the Wani had been reclassified as a merchant vessel. Iroh clasped Zuko’s shoulder, before they headed to Zuko’s cabin. As Zuko sat down on his bed, Iroh wondered how to best start this conversation.

“Those cursed things will kill you, nephew.”. Dammit, that was not what he had meant to start off with.

Zuko laughed. “For an ordinary man, yes. Me? I’m something of a...unique case.” Nevertheless, Zuko crushed the cigarette in his hand, before letting it fall into a wastebasket.

“I’m guessing you want to know how I found out about your true allegiance, Uncle?” Zuko asked, his fingers on his chin, almost as if he was thinking what to say next.

Iroh nodded. “You have only been back for a few weeks, and yet, you have not pushed back against me reclassifying the ship as a merchant vessel while you were gone. You have made no effort to track the Avatar. And now, you have learnt that I am part of a group that is dedicated to taking your father down, and instead of clapping me in chains, you use our code to wish to speak to me? I am glad to see you again, nephew, never doubt that, but I wish to know, what happened while you were gone?”

**POV Switch**

Zuko frowned. He did not want to talk about his experiences to anyone, but he owed at least a small grain of the truth to his uncle, a man who had spent the last five years constantly searching for him after he had seemingly disappeared from the world. 

_ Five years for his uncle, over ten years for him _

He stood up, walking around the cabin, pacing around, like a caged beast.

“All I’ll say is this, Uncle. During the time I was gone, I believed in someone. He took me under his wing and trained me to be strong.”

_ “Bravo, I see you may indeed become one of the strongest Sith in the galaxy. Your trials are over. You are now my apprentice.” _

_ Zuko was thrilled. After so many years of training, he finally had the chance to prove everyone that doubted him wrong. Azula, Father, Iroh. When he came back to the Fire Nation, he would show them all. _

_ “I am your humble servant, master. I bow before you” Zuko bowed low. _

_ Baras chuckled “Rise, my apprentice” As Zuko straightened his posture, Baras continued. “This is only the beginning. With you as my right hand, we shall strike fear into the Empire’s enemies.” _

“He showed me the power of one’s words as well as one’s strength. I believed he would lead me and others to a better future. Hah. I failed to take into account one thing, his obsessive paranoia. The madman believed I would one day strike him down, so he tried to kill me.”

_ “Baras sends his regards, goodbye.” Zuko heard a click, and then the mine started to crumble, explosives going off in every corner. He rushed to the exit, almost escaping the carnage until a large slab of rock hit him square in the head. Zuko lost consciousness, as he was buried under the rubble. He heard Vette calling out to him, shouting that help was on the way. _

“A pity, then, that he underestimated how strong I had become under his tutelage. I survived his assasination attempt, and met another man. He was far more powerful than my old master, and in witnessing my strength, and my resilience, he gave me a title and a new duty, to eliminate my old master.” 

_ “You have been called” Servant One droned, his voice as flat as a droid. _

_ Servant Two continued where his partner left off. “The Emperor tasks The Hand with a great undertaking, and you are to become his Wrath. Darth Baras seizes power against the Emperor’s wishes. He must be stopped.” _

_ Zuko could only smile. At the age of 21, he was already the Emperor’s Wrath. Nothing could stand in his way now. _

“I was thrilled. I felt that I had finally begun to gain the recognition and glory I had rightfully deserved for so long. I took to my new duty like a Messenger Hawk to fresh meat. I achieved my duty, and struck down the madman that had betrayed me. For a few months afterwards, I was happy. I served as the right hand to the man who, this time, I knew without a doubt, would lead us to glory, to a better future than my old master ever could’ve hoped for.” At this, Zuko’s fists started to tighten.

_ Zuko saw the possessed Jedi taunting Lana’s right hand man. A mixture of shock, horror, regret, and rage pooling inside him at the twisted sight of his Emperor. He slowly walked up to the containment field. _

_ “There was a time I took pride in being your Wrath. Look at what you’ve become! You’re just another madman.” _

_ Zuko felt something inside him break, then. He couldn’t even find it in himself to regret whatever it was.  _

_ Hours later, Zuko watched in horror as Ziost was devastated by the Emperor’s power. Millions of lives, gone in an instant. He fell to his knees, defeated. He could barely feel Vette embrace him from behind, whispering words of reassurance, that what had happened  _ **_was not_ ** _ his fault. _

_ Zuko couldn’t find it in himself to believe his wife. Not this time. _

“My new master was just another madman. He wanted to wipe out all life, and if it wasn’t for me and a few other friends that banded together to stop him, he would have succeeded.” 

Zuko turned to his uncle. “To make a long story short, Uncle, I have served two madmen in my life, and regretted it dearly ever since. I have no desire to tie myself to a third.” At this, Zuko sat down, head held in his hands. “Do you want to know more, Uncle?”

Iroh nodded his head. “I will not push you any further, Zuko. It is clear that speaking of this is... difficult. I just want you to know, whenever you are ready to tell me the full story, I will always be willing to hear you out. You are my nephew, and I love you very dearly.”

Zuko smiled sadly. He didn’t deserve Uncle, but it wasn’t like Zuko could get rid of the stubborn man. “I know, Uncle. Thank you.” He looked up to Iroh. “As for the White Lotus, it wasn’t as difficult to figure out as you think. Carrying lotus tiles everywhere we went, speaking that flowery little code to your friends in the Pai Sho parlors, and generally being against my dear Father’s wishes was enough to clue me in on something. A little bit of further observation and intercepted messages revealed the truth to me.”

Iroh coughed, embarrassed. Perhaps his twilight years were taking a bigger toll on him than he thought. He was usually more careful than this. Iroh decided to drink some tea that Zuko had started to keep in his room. He took a small taste, and then smiled. “Jasmine! My favorite! I had no idea you were hoarding such good tea, nephew!”

Zuko chuckled. “I kept a pot around for you, Uncle. I know how much you love it.” Zuko got up from his bed, heading towards the exit of his room. As he was about to head out, he clasped Iroh’s shoulder.

“Uncle, how would you feel about meeting the Avatar?”

Iroh spat out his tea.


	3. Meeting the Avatar (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko reminisces his first few steps as a proper Sith, years ago. In the present time, Zuko plans on how to meet the Avatar and convince them that he is on their side. Naturally, everything goes to hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing, XD
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying this. Half the time, I feel like I'm just writing nonsense. I don't wanna continue writing these stories if no one is liking them.

_As soon as Zuko stepped off the transport, he couldn’t help but admire the beauty of Korriban. There was something rather charming about the landscape, but Zuko was having a bit of difficulty figuring out what it was. A dark skinned man started walking towards him_

_“At last, you’ve arrived, good, good, there is much to do and every moment is critical. I’m Overseer Tremel. For decades, I have administered the trials that prove who is and isn’t worthy to join the Sith Order. The trials are a chance to weed out the weak. Those who face them either survive and become Sith, or die.”_

_Zuko smirked. He had come too far now to die in this dustball of a planet. “Mark my words, I am destined to be Sith.”_

_Tremel shook his head. “It wasn’t destiny that brought you here.”_

_Zuko and Tremel started to exit the makeshift landing strip, heading towards the building where budding acolytes were given their first trial._

_“Yes, You are here and ahead of schedule because of me. I expect you to obey. You face your trials, you serve me, and I will make you the most powerful acolyte here.”_

_Zuko hadn’t made it this far by being a fool. Azula had done her best to get rid of that way of thinking. “Why am I skeptical of this?” he said, rubbing his chin_

_Tremel raised an eyebrow at Zuko. “Have a critical edge, but recognize who is on your side.”_

_Tremel continued on. “The trials themselves are difficult enough, but they are hardly the greatest threat you face. There’s an acolyte here named Vemrin. He’s your enemy, and he will try to kill you. We must prepare you.”_

_Zuko snarled in fury. “Let him try, I’ll destroy him.”_

_Tremel smiled “With my guidance, someday you’ll destroy all your enemies.” He took a look over Zuko, his eyes staring a few moments longer on his practice sword before moving on._

_“That practice sword you’ve arrived with is insufficient -- the blade of lesser acolytes. You need a dominating weapon. In the tomb of Ajunta Pall, there is an old armory. A strong Sith Warblade awaits you there. The tomb is thick with k'lor'slugs -- deadly, savage creatures. Be speedy but careful, they’ve been the end to many an acolyte.”_

_Zuko chuckled.“If they lack the instinct to avoid me, I’ll feed them their heads.”_

_Tremel continued with his instructions. “Once you acquire the warblade, I suggest you spend some time in the tomb bloodying it. Then, come to me in my chambers in the Academy.“_

_As Tremel stepped out to head back to the Academy, Zuko exited the building and leaned over the ramparts. He took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of death and decay that Korriban was emitting in waves. This was only the beginning._

After Iroh had cleaned himself up after his tea incident, Zuko began to further explain what he meant to his Uncle.

“In my travels, I learned many techniques, secrets thought to have been lost forever. One of these techniques is...a sort of meditation, I suppose I could call it. It allows me to tap into the spiritual energy of our world and look into the major events that occur as we speak. I was doing this technique yesterday, and I saw it.”

_As Zuko started to ease into his meditation, an image started to form in his mind. A bright flash of white light erupting from an iceberg, Zuko could barely see past it’s blinding glow. However, as it started to die down, Zuko could see something that should’ve been considered impossible._

_Air Bender tattoos._

Zuko shook his head, almost in disbelief. “The Avatar. He never died, he was just stuck in an iceberg for the past century. That’s why the Avatar Cycle never continued after Air.” He got up from his bed. “We have to meet them.”

Iroh frowned. “Why? You said previously that you had no wish to serve your father.”

Zuko shook his head. “It is **because** I have no wish to serve my father that we must meet them. Right now, Father does not believe that anyone will find the Avatar. He believes the Avatar Cycle has been broken, permanently. The second he realizes the truth, he will send for the best among the Fire Nation, the most ruthless generals and the most talented firebenders. If we can get to the Avatar first, we can keep them hidden a little bit longer from the Fire Nation.”

Iroh stood up “I’m assuming, from the iceberg comment, he has been discovered in one of the poles?”

“I saw huts in my vision.” Zuko replied. “Far from the iceberg, but still a reasonable distance away. Based on the huts, I believe that the Avatar is, as of this moment, located in the South Pole.”

Iroh stroked his beard in thought. “I’m assuming you have a plan, nephew?”

Zuko nodded. “I’ll use what little I was able to discern from my vision to locate landmarks and such to triangulate the position of the village. Once we have that, you and I will take the lifeboat with us once we reach a fair distance away from the South Pole village. We will tell the crew that we are scouting ahead to discover whether or not the rumors of a new tea leaf that only grows in the South Pole are true or not. After that, we will approach the Avatar with our true intentions. Once that’s done, we head back to the Wani, and explain that the new tea leaf rumor was a lie.”

Iroh shook his head in disbelief “Nephew, do you really think they’ll believe that we are searching for a tea leaf in an icy wasteland where nothing could possibly grow?”

Zuko chuckled. “Uncle, if anyone were to chase down rumors of a new type of tea, who else but the manager of the Emerald Dragon Teashop go after it?”

Iroh held more than a little consternation to this plan. It was rather elaborate, and a number of things could happen. In the end, Iroh ultimately decided that he should put his trust in his nephew. He just hoped things would go half as smoothly as Zuko wanted it to be. 

**A Few Days Later**

Zuko and Iroh put on their parkas. The Southern Water Tribe was extremely cold, even more so to Firebenders. They readied the jet black boat, preparing to venture into possibly hostile territory.

“Alright, Uncle. Remember the plan?”  
Iroh nodded. He turned to his nephew. “I do hope you have a backup plan, Zuko. After all, plans-”

“-never survive contact with the enemy, I know.” Zuko interrupted. His right arm started to unconsciously drift towards something in his back pocket, before he clenched it shut. A heavy tri-spiked hilt nested back there, calling out to him.

“Rest assured, Uncle, I am prepared in case things do not go well.”

The boat touched the waters below. Zuko started to row in earnest. The night sky gave them ample cover as they rowed towards the small village. Once they were only a small distance away from the village, Zuko took out a spyglass and peered into the village where the Avatar had been stowed away. He frowned.

“Damn. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t....this.”

The village was a pitiful sight. There was a wall made of ice that Zuko could easily jump over if he used the Force to enhance his legs. There weren’t any guards, and from what the Force was telling Zuko, there weren’t any men _at all_. The only people in that village were women, children, and a rather faded, but powerful presence.

Zuko frowned. He had read about the raids, as he had spent the last few weeks trying to catch up on everything that had happened in the five years he had been gone. Still, to read it and to see it himself were two very different things. Zuko turned to Iroh.

“Change of plans. Once we reach the shore, you stay and keep the boat ready. I have a feeling this mission of ours will be much easier than we expected.”

The duo reached the shore. Iroh took the paddles, and Zuko climbed out. As he neared the ice wall, Zuko concentrated, calling out to the Force to utilize in a manner that would help him jump over the obstacle in front of him. Zuko jumped high into the air, over the wall, before he crashed down into the snow. He rolled to a stop, wincing a little bit. Shit, he should’ve been better prepared for the landing. He called out to the Force again, trying to find the Avatar.

There it was, a small igloo much like the other ones in the village. The Avatar wasn’t alone either. They had two other people with him, most likely to keep a watch over them. He spotted an igloo that looked like it was on the verge of collapse. With a little push from the Force, the igloo came crashing down, the horrible noise echoing over the village. The two watching over the Avatar, a boy and a girl respectively, ran out, wondering what the commotion was. As they were distracted, Zuko made his way to the back of the igloo. He pushed, delicately. One wrong move and this structure would come crumbling down atop the person Zuko wished to speak to in peace. As the back of the igloo was pushed away to make just enough room for a Zuku sized hole, Zuko entered. The room was illuminated by a small fire. There wasn’t that much here, just some medical supplies and a bed.

Wait a minute.

Someone was in that bed.

Zuko approached. The faded power he had felt in the Force seemed to be emitting from this person in front of him, covered in air bending tattoos. As Zuko approached, he could see that the Avatar was not in good shape, not at all.

The Avatar’s skin was pale. His body was painfully thin. He was fitfully trying to breathe. Several parts of his skin had burn patches. _Frostbite_ , Zuko thought automatically. He had seen many Sith Troopers suffer it, on Hoth and Illum.

Zuko cursed. This was worse than he thought. It was a good thing that he had come by when he did. If Zhao, or Azula, or gods forbid, his own father, had seen the Avatar like this….

Zuko shook his head. No time to worry about that. He knelt next to the Avatar. “Avatar, can you hear me.”

The Avatar opened his eyes. They were worryingly pink. “S-S-Sokka? I-I-Is that you?” he whispered, every word taking its toll on him.

Zuko shook his head. Honesty would work best, even if the Avatar was delirious and possibly half dead “No, no. My name is Zuko. I was born into the Fire Nation, but I left them long ago. My goal is to find and protect the Avatar.” Zuko took a quick look at his surroundings. He heard the crunch of snow. Dammit, his supervisors were coming back. They had to hurry. He picked up the Avatar, one hand on the Avatar’s leg and the other on his neck. Zuko continued where he left off.

“We must leave this place, quickly. If the Fire Lord learns that you’re back, then this village will be destroyed, along with its people.” Zuko paused. The footsteps had stopped, and then started to walk away from the igloo. Well, Zuko wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“My uncle is awaiting us on the shore. When we get there, we’ll bring you to our ship. After that, we can-”

The Force warned him. 

_Danger._

Zuko was forced to let the Avatar go, dumping him on the bed. He narrowly avoided a blast of water and a...boomerang? As the boomerang started to come back to it’s owner, Zuko caught it with his right hand. He inspected the weapon for a moment.

“Hmm. Not bad.”, he commented, before tossing the weapon back to the owner. The man and woman in front of him had a snarl embedded on their faces.

“ _Ash Maker_ ,” the woman growled, a leashed violence clear in her tone.

Oh hell, this was not going to plan.

Zuko held up his hands, surrendering. “Look, I mean you and the Avatar here no harm. I came here to talk to h-.”

Water once again was thrown at him, and once again, Zuko dodged, moving his head and body away from the strike.

Zuko sighed. “I don’t have time for this.” He reached out with the Force, grabbing the two before knocking them against each other. The duo lost consciousness. Zuko turned to the Avatar. “Now, as I was saying…”

The Force, once warning, now screamed

**_DANGER!_ **

Zuko barely had time to brace himself before he was hit with a massive stream of wind. Zuko, squinting, saw something rather troubling.

The Avatar’s tattoos were glowing, which meant only one thing.

_The Avatar State._

Zuko once again cursed. Things were not going to plan, **at all**. He could faintly hear the Avatar shouting at him.

“ **DON’T TOUCH THEM!!** ”

The igloo was being torn apart from the extreme amount of wind that had been thrown onto it.

Dammit, he didn’t even want to fight those two! Aargh!

Zuko started to slowly push through the massive amount of winds being thrown at him, shielding his eyes with his arms. The Avatar State, while powerful, was still being used by a boy who was almost half dead. Within a minute, Zuko was able to close the distance between him and the Avatar.

“I HOPE YOU CAN FORGIVE ME FOR THIS, AVATAR!” Zuko shouted, barely able to hear himself over the harsh wind. He grabbed the Avatar’s robes.

And headbutted him in the nose.

The Avatar lost consciousness, the winds fading away. Panting in exhaustion, Zuko grabbed the Avatar and hoisted him across his right shoulder. As he started to turn the other way, Zuko paused. The Avatar had reacted rather violently when he’d knocked his friends unconscious, and his friends might panic if the Avatar was missing. Perhaps it would be best for all their sakes if Zuko took all of them with him. Zuko proceeded to drop the Avatar to take out some rope he had in his bag (just in case) and tied the Avatar’s friends together. After hefting all three of them, the boy and the girl on his left shoulder, and the Avatar on his right, Zuko started to realize the crowd he had gathered.

Shit

Zuko could only blankly stare at the crowd of women and children. The children were trembling in fear. One old woman was shaking, tears spilling out of her eyes.

“Please..Please don’t hurt my grandchildren.”

Zuko shook his head. Dammit, this had all gone wrong. However, he couldn’t just explain everything now. He had to go.

“I’m sorry.” he said to the old woman, hoping she understood that he didn’t mean to harm her loved ones. Zuko reached out with the Force, and pulled. Small pellets of snow lifted from the ground and swarmed the inhabitants of the village. The villagers were forced to cover their eyes. When the improvised snow storm ended, Zuko had already reached Iroh and the boat.

Iroh looked at his nephew, unamused.

“I thought you had a backup plan, nephew.” he said to Zuko, sternly.

Zuko’s cheeks blazed red. Tonight had just not been his night. Not one bit. “ **THIS IS THE BACKUP PLAN, OLD MAN**!” he shouted as he furiously rowed back to the Wani. Agni really had it out for him, didn’t he?


	4. Medical Attention (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko plans ahead for what lies next. He tries his best to convince his new stowaways that he is on their side.

_ Zuko headed to his next trial. By Tremel’s orders, he had to interrogate three prisoners in the Academy jails and decide their fates. At least this one could be done in the relative comfort of the Academy walls, rather than the terrible heat that awaited outside. He had to make his decisions carefully, as his decisions would be heavily scrutinized. Tremel had suggested that Zuko should let his passions fuel his judgments. As Zuko started to near the jail, he heard snippets of a...rather odd conversation, between a bearded man and a blue skinned Twi’lek. _

_ “One more chirp from you, little bird, and you’ll regret it.” _

_ “Chirp, chirp chirp!” _

_ The bearded man was not amused, evidenced by the shock collar he activated. _

_ Not that it deterred the Twi’lek _

_ “Ow! Jerk! If you don’t like that, just say so. I can do other animals too. Dire-cat, frog-dog, Kowakian monkey lizard, you name it.” _

_ Zuko, against his better judgement, couldn’t help but chuckle, gathering the attention of the bearded man and the Twi’lek. _

_ Even as Zuko finished his trial and went to rest from a long day of training, Zuko couldn’t get his mind off the blue skinned Twi’lek. _

Zuko puffed on a cigarette, the nicotine filling his lungs. Agni, he’d needed this, after the clusterfuck that he’d just gone through. Iroh was giving him that  _ look _ again, but screw him, this had turned into a disaster, and his healing abilities would negate the damage of these things, anyway.

“Nephew, I do hope you have a plan besides keeping them in your cabin.”

Zuko exhaled, smoke escaping his lungs as his head turned upwards.

“The Avatar needs medical attention. Being stuck in that iceberg all this time has not done wonders for his health. While the Water Tribe was doing their best, it’s clear that if he isn’t given some proper medical attention, he will die anyway. We also have to deal with the fact that we have two members of the Southern Water Tribe tagging along with us, one who is a novice Waterbender.” Zuko took another puff of his cigarette, exhaling smoke. “I’ve set a course to Kyoshi Island. Suki might be able to help the Avatar with his condition. I’ve begun drafting papers to allow these stowaways of ours to work in our little tea business. The Avatar could pass off as Fire Nation, if we can hide his tattoos well enough. The Water Tribe members, on the other hand…” Zuko rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “Uncle, what are the chances we can get away with saying they were born in the colonies?”   
Iroh nodded, stroking his beard. “Not a bad idea, nephew. While rare, there are some people of Water Tribe descent in the colonies. We can use that to our advantage.”

Zuko stood up. “Well, everything’s settled then. All that’s left is to convince the people I knocked out and dragged away from their homes that I have their best interests at heart.”

Zuko paused.

He took a deeper puff of his cigarette.

**A Few Minutes Later**

Zuko headed to his cabin. Well, it  **was** his cabin. Now it was serving more as a temporary guest room. He opened the door. The twin glares of the Water Tribe siblings met him.

Zuko sighed. He took out a key. “If I open those shackles, are you going to attack me?”

The girl snarled, refusing to answer.

Zuko shook his head. “Should’ve expected as much.” He knelt, trying to put himself at their level. “Look, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I am  **not** your enemy here.” He turned to the Avatar. He was breathing fitfully, twisting and turning.

“We’re heading to Kyoshi Island to get the Avatar properly healed. Without proper medical attention, he will die.” Zuko stood up, unlocking the chains that bound the Water Tribe siblings. “Keep that in mind before you try escaping with him.” As the Water Tribe siblings rubbed their wrists, Zuko laid out the rules of the ship.

“Right now, this is classified as a merchant ship. Snoop around, and all you’ll find is the various tea blends my Uncle has bargained for. If you wish to stay here to keep an eye on your friend for today, that’s understandable, but sooner or later I will need you both to work with the rest of the crew on the ship.”

“You want us to work for you? Despite the fact you kidnapped us?” the boy asked, confused.

Zuko nodded. “In a ship like this, everyone has to pull their own weight, even the people I’ve...kidnapped. I won’t expect you to work for free. You’ll get paid a set wage, the same as everyone else on this ship.”

“And you expect us not to sabotage you?” the girl asked.

Zuko raised an eyebrow at the girl, unimpressed. “What’s there to sabotage? Our engines? Even if they weren’t guarded, I doubt you’d want the Avatar to drown. Our tea? The only people you’d offend are our customers, and then we could just point them to you.” Zuko sighed. “Look, I don’t know how many times I will have to say it, but I am  **not your enemy** . I need the Avatar’s help.”

“Help, for what?! To hand as a prize to the Fire Lord?!”

Agni, this girl was irritating. At least her brother was able to keep his mouth mostly shut. Zuko had tried to avoid using a cigarette so far, if only to be polite, but fuck it. He didn’t have the patience to deal with this on his own. He took out his cigarette case. It was a work of art. Jet black metal with a black-red hexagon in the middle, the symbol of the Empire he once served. Taking out a cigarette, Zuko placed it in his mouth and snapped his right thumb and finger, creating a small flame to light up the cigarette. He took a long pull of the cigarette, trying to calm himself down. He exhaled.

“Look here, miss. I did not plot a course to Kyoshi Island, the one place where they would protect the Avatar the most, just to take him to the Fire Lord. Look, just...hear me out, listen to what I have to say, and in the end, if you have no wish to continue associating with me, and if the Avatar has no desire to help me once he is healed, then I will let you all leave.” Zuko sat down, his foot tapping nervously. “Ugh, if Malavai could see me now.” He took another puff of his cigarette. “Perhaps if I explained to you what I need the Avatar’s help for, then perhaps we might all be willing to get along better.”

Zuko crushed the cigarette in his right hand, before letting it drop into the wastebasket. He turned to the Water Tribe siblings. “Let us begin with introductions, at least on my end. I am Zuko, exiled Prince of the Fire Nation. My dear old dad gave me this wonderful little memento on my face when I was thirteen because I embarrassed him when I called him and his puppets out on sacrificing our loyal soldiers for a half baked plan that wouldn’t have worked. Naturally, like any sane father would do, he proceeded to fight me in an honor duel, where I tried to surrender because I couldn’t go against my own dad, and got branded for my trouble instead.”

This was a bit of a tricky part. Zuko could barely tell his own Uncle what had happened to him. He sure as hell wasn’t going to spill the beans to two strangers. Zuko decided to give an…  _ embellished _ version of the truth.

“I spent the next five years of my exile travelling the world, trying to figure out my place in it. I eventually came to the realization that my Father was a madman who would happily destroy everything, including the Fire Nation, if it meant he could rule the ashes.”

Zuko took a deep breath. “Now, I could have gone after dear old dad, killed him, taken over the throne, all that business, but there were a few issues in that. One, if I killed the Fire Lord, now, when the Fire Nation has been claiming that they’ve been on the brink of winning the war for years now, then the Fire Nation will erupt into Civil War, either between my wrongful conquest of the throne, or a war of succession between me and my sister, Azula.” Zuko held his head in his hands. “Even if the Fire Nation did not fall into Civil War, I am too much like my father to be the leader they deserve. My people need an idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor to lead them out of the war they started a century ago, and I fit none of those traits.” 

Zuko turned to the Avatar “And then, when I caught whispers in the Spirit World about the Avatar’s possible return, it all clicked for me. Who better to take down my father, to show the Fire Nation how wrong they were, than the human embodiment of light and peace? I spent days scouring in the Spirit World, hounding after any clue I could. When I started to lose hope, I had a...a vision. One in which the Avatar freed himself from an iceberg. I rushed to the Southern Water Tribes in the hope I could protect him from my father and his men. At least that part of the plan has gone well so far. ” 

Zuko sighed. “I don’t want your sympathy, I just want you to understand why I did all this, that I am not your enemy.” He turned towards the exit of the room. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

**POV Switch**

Sokka turned to his sister. “Katara, do you think he was telling the truth?”. Sokka had an unsettling feeling that what Zuko had said was the truth. To think, the Fire Lord’s own kid wasn’t even safe from the Fire Lord.

Katara shook her head “I...I don’t know.” Katara wanted to believe that the ash maker was lying, but deep down, she knew a liar when she saw one, and Zuko, even though he was a part of the nation that had killed her mother in cold blood, was no liar. She turned towards her brother. “Let’s at least try not to bother him until we arrive on Kyoshi Island. After that, we’ll see.”


End file.
